What happens when something that gives us pleasure, comfort or escape starts gaining control over us? Addiction isn’t only about alcohol, nicotine or drugs. People can develop deeply compulsive relationships with screens, video games, sex, shopping, gambling, exercise and countless other behaviours... sometimes without recognising that anything is wrong. Guided by David Ammerschlaeger, a brilliant Chief Psychological Counsellor, we’ll explore the fascinating psychology of behavioural addiction: what happens inside the brain as wanting gradually becomes craving, why certain behaviours become so difficult to stop, and why some people seem much more vulnerable to these cycles than others.

Together, we’ll look beyond simplistic ideas of addiction as merely having “bad habits” or lacking self-control. Where is the line between something we enjoy a lot and something we’re actually addicted to? What roles do dopamine, stress, loneliness, boredom, emotional regulation and our environment play? Can you be addicted to your phone without realising it? And once a compulsive pattern has developed, how can it actually be changed? David will help us explore how to recognise unhealthy patterns in ourselves and others, what approaches can help break them, and what addiction can reveal about the way all human brains pursue reward, relief and connection. Expect a deep, open and practical conversation about behaviours that, in one form or another, may be much closer to everyday life than we think.

当某样给我们带来快乐、安慰或逃避的东西开始掌控我们时，会发生什么？成瘾不只有酒精、尼古丁或毒品。人们可能对屏幕、电子游戏、性、购物、赌博、运动和无数的行为产生深度强迫性的关系……有时甚至没有意识到有什么不对。在首席心理咨询师David Ammerschlaeger的引导下，我们会探索行为成瘾那些迷人的心理机制：当“想要”逐渐变成“渴望”时，大脑内部发生了什么；为什么某些行为会变得如此难以停止；以及为什么有些人似乎比其他人更容易陷入这种循环。

我们会一起超越那些将成瘾简单归结为“坏习惯”或“缺乏自控力”的简单化看法。我们非常喜欢的东西和真正上瘾的东西之间的界限在哪？多巴胺、压力、孤独、无聊、情绪调节和环境都扮演了什么角色？你可能在不知不觉中对手机上瘾吗？一旦强迫性模式形成了，它到底怎么才能被改变？David会帮我们探索如何识别自己和他人的不健康模式，哪些方法可以帮助打破它们，以及成瘾能揭示人类大脑寻求奖励、缓解和连接的方式。期待一场有深度、开放又实用的对话——关于那些以一种或另一种形式，可能比我们想的更贴近日常生活的行为。